Lessons from the Buddhist Monk Tit Nat Khan to Help You Become Happier

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Tit Nat Khan is a unique person. In 1967, this Vietnamese monk was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Martin Luther King. He is also one of the three most influential spiritual leaders of our time. And his book "" is recommended by the Dalai Lama, because it can change for the better the life of not only an individual, but also the whole society.

Meditate

Vanity is a virus that consumes us. It takes us headlong. We think about something all the time. During breakfast, on the road, at work, after work, in the store, on vacation … The flurry of thoughts and deeds knocks you off your feet, but the pace does not allow you to stop. We stop noticing what is happening under our noses. And we get so tired that we don't feel happy.

Remember the last time there was silence in your head? When was the last time you found yourself in the present moment and noticed a child's laugh, beautiful music from a nearby cafe, or the sunset?

Tit Nath Khan is sure that there is a deep interconnection of inner peace and harmony of every person and peace on our planet. To find inner peace and at the same time achieve peace around you, you need to practice mindfulness, learn to breathe mindfully and meditate. Yes, the meditation of each individual person can lead to world peace. In his book Peace in Every Step, Titus described about 50 techniques of meditation and mindfulness.

Smile

A smile is the most precious thing we have. A smile is priceless, but at the same time it costs nothing. Only a person capable of happiness and peace of mind can smile sincerely. From his smile, it becomes better not only for himself, but also for those around him. Remember what you feel when looking at the "Mona Lisa": there is only a hint of a smile on the beauty's face, but even this can calm you down.

To greet the new day with understanding and kindness, start with a smile. To get used to this, remind yourself: Hang up an encouraging picture or piece of paper with encouraging words in a prominent place. Soon, only one awakening, the gentle rays of the sun or the flood warble of birds will make you smile.

Titus Nat Khan

One girl, during her spiritual practice, came up with a poem:

May my smile be lost

But there is no need to be sad.

After all, she is at the dandelion.

If your smile is gone, know: everything around, including the dandelion, can bring it back. You only need to notice that it is being kept for you.

Watch your breath

Breathing exercises are the key to joy and tranquility. If you want to learn to breathe mindfully, you can start with this technique. It is easy and you can practice it everywhere.

When you breathe in, concentrate on it and say to yourself: "Breathing in, I understand that I breathe in." During exhalation: "As I exhale, I understand that I am exhaling." Everything.

This exercise helps you become aware of how we breathe. Do you remember the advice: "To calm down, slowly count from 1 to 10"? Mindful breathing not only cools anger, but brings peace to our souls.

In the frantic rhythm of the world, we very often do several things at the same time. The head thinks about one thing, but the arms and legs do something completely different. Actions and thoughts are unrelated. Use mindfulness breathing to connect them. It brings us back to the present moment and helps us to be attentive to what is happening around us.

Plant healthy seeds

Human consciousness can be represented as two levels: the seed and its seedlings. Parents and society plant different seeds in us: good and not so good. If you have seeds of anger in you, then they can sprout in the right conditions and prevent the good seeds from manifesting themselves. It will make you suffer.

The more often anger rises, the more it creates new seeds in your mind. If you allow the seeds of joy and happiness to germinate more often, then there will be more of them in your consciousness.

When you practice mindfulness and mindfulness, you choose which seeds should sprout and which should not. Grow more good, healthy seeds and don't let the bad ones sprout. Then happiness and peace will come to you.

Ask yourself the right questions

Quite often the question arises in our head: "What is wrong?" This is how the seeds of discontent and doubt arise in our minds. We suffer and become discouraged, creating a vicious circle of negativity.

What if you ask yourself: "What is so?" At this moment, you will notice something that you usually do not pay attention to: wonderful weather, gentle breeze, and other wonderful things.

We are not used to appreciating something until we lose it. For example, we begin to realize the value of breathing after the onset of a cold or asthma. But in order to experience the joy of breathing, one does not need to strive to get sick.

Ask yourself more often what is going right now, what is good. Noticing the simple joys of life is the secret of true happiness.

Learn to understand others

If you planted a salad and it didn't grow, you don't blame it. You understand the reasons for the failure: perhaps the lettuce did not have enough sun or the soil was not fertilized. But it never occurs to you to blame the salad itself.

Then why, when you have problems with family or friends, the first thing you do is blame them? This approach will never lead to good results. Stop blaming and blaming. Instead, learn to take care of people.

Look at the person to see and understand him. What are his needs, problems? What are his desires and dreams? When you understand why a person is behaving in one way or another, you simply cannot give vent to negative emotions. Look at all living things with compassion. Then you will develop the ability to understand others, and your relationships with people will improve.

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